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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · ruler · mark · stem · pitcher · staff

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stem — to come from
  7. cell — in biology
  8. staff — employees
  9. mark — a trace
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mark — a grade
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cell — a phone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com